Process and apparatus for manipulating textile materials



C; D. WALTON ET AL.

Filed May 7, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MANIPULATING TEXTILE MATERIALS Aug. 9, 1932. c. D. WALTON ET AL 1,871,100

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MANIPULATING TEXTILE MATERIALS Filed May 7; 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet v 2 Patented Aug. 9, 1932 UNITED STATES RATENT OFFKIE CHARLES DODGSON WALTON AND FREDERICK TROUTON SMALL, OE CUMBERLAND,

MARYLAND, ASSIGNORS TO CELANESE CORPORATION OF AMERICA, A CORPORA- TION OF DELAWARE A PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MANIPULATING TEXTILE MATERIALS Application filed May 7, 1929, Serial No. 861,090, and in Great Britainltay 9, 1928.

- This invention relates to processes and apparatus for conveying textile threads, yarns, and filaments and has for its object to overcome the difliculties experienced in many textile operations in transferring threads or the like from one point to another. Guides, rods, driven and idle pulleys, and other devices usually employed are often unsatisfactory in that they subject the threads or the like to excessive friction or tension; or they fail lection of such lengths, is caused to travel to any desired point by a gaseous or liquid me dium which flows with the thread or the like and carries it along with it. The gaseous or liquid flowmay be produced by pressure or suction and may be used to convey the threads or the like over long or short distances, carrying it over any desired path.

While the flow of the conveying medium willusually be through a closed pipe or conduit, it may, especially where a liquid medium is employed, be along an open channel or duct. Again, a part of the path may be totally unenclosed, particularly when the thread or the like is to be conveyed over a comparatively short distance.

The threads or the like, (hereinafter referred to as threads) being carried along with the propelling medium, are, given continuous support, and the tension applied by the medium is evenly distributed over the whole length of the thread, instead of being applied at intervals. Long distances can be covered by the thread, especially when the propelling medium is enclosed, the pipes or conduitsbeing designed to allow the medium to flow with as little obstruction as possible between the desired points.

The new system of conveying may be employed for delivering threads to a machine or apparatus for treatment therein, or may be arranged to remove treated threads away from a machine or apparatus, or it may be used to convey them from one machine or apparatus to another. For example, suction may be applied at one end of a conduit to draw in a thread, and the resulting discharge of fluid at the other end of the conduit may be used to deliver the thread. Similarly, a thread may be drawn into a conduit by suction applied at or near the inlet end-of the conduit and carried through the conduit to its discharge end by the fluid flow therethrough, or the suction may be applied at an intermediate point along the length of a conduit.

In one form of device embodying this principle, a thread is sucked through-a tube or conduit by a fluid'steam in a second tube surrounding the inner tube or conduit, the

fluid stream discharged from the outer tube serving to eject the thread from the inner tube or conduit. The outlet of the device is arranged as a nozzle to direct the expelled thread to the point desired. Other 'forms of the device Will'appear from the subsequent description. i

The conveying devices employing a fluid flow according to the invention may be used 7 in conjunction with positive means for conveying threads, this combined arrangement being useful when a definite rate of feed is necessary, or when there is danger of attenuation or shrinkage of the threads or filaments being conveyed.

In addition to serving as av conveying medium, the fluid stream may be utilized for treating the threads simultaneously with their conveyance. Thus washing, drying, or

other treatment of the threads may be carried out by the use of suitable fluids. It is also possible, particularly Where positive feed means are used in conjunction with the fluid propelling means, to subject the travelling threads to a counterfiow of any desired treating fluid, the rate of such counterfl'ow being, of course, adjusted so as not to exert an undue retarding action on the movement of the threads.

An embodiment of the manner in which the invention may be carried out, together with various applications of the invention, is illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, but it is to be understood that the following description is given by way of example only, and is not in anyway limitative.

Referring to the drawings Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a device for inducinga fluid flow in a conduit along which it is desired to convey a thread;

Fig. 2 is-a cross section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic elevational view, principally in section, illustrating the application of the invention to the conveying and treatment of wet-spun artificial threads;

Fig. 4. is an elevational view in section showing the employment of a counterflow treatment of threads which are being conveyed by fluid flow; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view in section illustrating the conveying of dry-spun artificial threads to a cutting machine for the production of staple fibre.

In Figs. 1 and 2, a tube 6, preferably tapered, is arranged inside a tapered tube 7 the annular space between the larger ends of the tubes being closed, as indicated at 8. Fluid is supplied to the outer tube 7 by a pipe 9, and the flow of fluid from the tube. 7 past the mouth of the tube 6 induces a flow through the tube 6. A thread being brought under the influence of this induced flow is drawn through the tube 6 and propelled from the mouth of the tube.

The propelling device just described may be used at the inlet end of aiconduit 10, the fluid flow through the conduit serving to support and propel the thread along the path of the conduit, or at the outlet end of a conduit 11. It may, however, be used at an intermediate point along the length of a conduit.

Liquids or gases may be used as flowinducing media, and the fluid which is caused to flow through the tube 6 is preferably the same as that introduced into the tube 7, though, for example, a gas may be used to induce a flow of liquid conveying medium, or vice versa.

The conveyin medium may be used for the treatment 0 the threads conveyed, and Fig. 3 illustrates in diagrammatic form conveying apparatus according to the invention as ap lied to the treatment of wet-spun artificial threads, e. g. viscose silk.

Filaments 12 extruded from a nozzle 13 into a coagulating bath 14 are associatedinto a thread 15 and withdrawn from the bath. After passing over a roller 16, which is preferably -positively driven so as to deliver the newl roamed filaments at a-constant rate,

the t read enters a propelling device 17 simi- 'lar to thatdescribed with reference to Figs.

land 2, and located in abath 18. A propoll ng liquid is supplied to the device 17 and carnes the thread 15 into and along a conduced through the inner tube of the device.

17. Any suitable arrangement may be employed for the removal of spent wash liquor and the supply of fresh liquor, preferably as continuous operations. The treatment of the threads in this manner continuously with their production avoids the necessity of submitting them to washing or other treatments after they have been wound.

The washed thread 15 is withdrawn from the bath 18, being passed round a. guide 22, and is directed over an. idle roller 23 to a second bath 18, through which the thread is conveyed by means of a propelling device 17. Any desired treatment, such, for example, as desulphurizin'g', may be carried out in the second bath, and further treatments may be applied by the use of additional baths provided with the propelling devices 17 Finally, the thread may be dried whilst being conveyed to any suitable collecting device, heated air being a convenient medium for conveying and drying. In Fig. '3; the thread 15 on leaving the last of the rollers 23 is drawn iritoaconveying tube 24 by means of a propelling device 25 to which compressed air (preferably heated) is supplied, and in its passage through the tube 24, the thread is dried. The dried thread is wound or twisted and wound in any suitable manner, for instance, in the spinningbox 26 into which it is discharged from the mouth 27 of the tube or conduit 24.

While the thread is being conveyed by means of afluid stream, it may be subjected passes. Or it may be passed through a conduit by means of a propelling device such as is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 and conveyedthereby to a similar propelling de vice, which then serves to draw the thread through the conduit. The device which has caused to pass through the conduit in a reverse direction to that of the thread. Fig. 4 shows d agrammatically a form of apparatus which maybe used for carrying out this for conveyin latter arrangement and suitable for use in conjunction with the apparatus shown in Fig. 3.

A thread 15 on leaving any one of the roll through a funnel 31 and flows down the conduit, being discharged over a lip 32, preferably adjustable as to height, at the inlet end 33 of the conduit. An idle or positively driven roller 34, over or around which the thread passes may be interposed between the outlet of the conduit 28 and the device 29.

In a similar manner, a counterflow of'gaseous drying medium may be passed through I a conduit traversed by the thread.

In Fig. 5, a number of cells 35 of a plant forthe dry-spinning of artificial filaments,

such as fi aments of'cellulose acetate, are shown and a propelling device 36 is employed the filaments or threads of filaments 37 rom the cells to a cutting machine 38. The filaments 37 are withdrawn from the cells 35' and enter funnel-shaped openings 39 in a conduit 40. Compressed air is forced through the outer tube of the propelling device and induces a flow of air throu h the conduit 40, thus drawing the i threa s which have been introduced through the openings 39 along the conduit and discharging them from the mouth ofthe device 36.

The cutting machine 38 comprises a cylindrical knife unit 41 having a number of blades 42 cooperating with a fixed blade 43, the threads 37 being discharged by the device 36 over the fixed blade 43 into the path of the moving blades 42. Instead of the device 36 delivering the threads directly to the cutting machine, one or more positively driven rollers may receive the threads from the conduit 40, the threads being delivered to the cutting machine by means, for example, of feeding devices described in U. S. patent application Serial No. 278,884 filed 18th May, 1928.

In the appended claims, the term thread is intended to cover. also filaments or yarns which are required to be conveyed and/or treated as continuous lengths.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1'. Process of conveyinga continuous length of thread, comprising conveyin the length of thread through a closed conduit by means of a stream of gaseous conveying medium, the stream being induced by suction applied to the conduit.

2. Apparatus for conveying a continuous length of thread, comprising a closed conduit following the path of the thread and suction means for producin a flow of gaseous thread conveying medium t rough the conduit.

3.Apparatus for conveying a continuous len h of thread, comprising a conduit following the path of the thread, suction means for producing a flow of thread conveying fluid along the conduit, and positively driven means for assisting the conveyance of the thread.

4. Ap aratus for conveying a continuous len the? thread, comprising a closed conduit folibwing the path of the thread, suction means for producing a flow of thread conve ing fluid through the conduit, and positive y drlven means for assisting the conveyance of the thread.

5. Apparatus for conveying a continuous length of thread, comprising a closed conduit following the path of the thread, suction means for producing a flow of gaseous thread conveying medium through the conduit, and positively driven means for assisting the conveyance of the thread.

6. Apparatus for conveying a continuous length'of thread, comprising a conduit following the path of the'thread and suction means for producing a flow of thread-conveying fluid along said conduit including a plurality of tapered tubes having an annular space therebetweeni said space being closed at one end and a fiui tube. v

7. Apparatus for conveying a continuous length of thread, comprising a conduit following the path of the threadand suction means for producing a flow of thread-conveying fluid along said conduit including a plurality of concentrically arranged tapered tubes having an annular space therebetween, said space being closed at one end and a fluid supply pipe in the outer tube.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names. CHARLES DODGSON WALTON. FREDERICK TROUTONSMALL.

supply pipe in the outer 

